I purchased two hanks of Cascade Baby Chunky Alpaca in the most delicious shade of banana yellow a while back. Total impulse purchase. You know how that is! Then the search for "what to do with it" is on!

I found the most interesting scarf pattern (free) over at Ravelry. It is gender neutral, even though is it kinda lacey. Anyway, in the past two days I've knit two of these scarves...one in this yellow alpaca...and the other in a tri-color alpaca.

The tri-color scarf became soooo long from using the entire hank that purportedly had 222 yds (88") that I thought about giving it to my tall son-in-law. (PS: I think the alpaca lady was very very wrong about the yardage estimation. I think the handspun hank had much more that, more like 350 yds)

Well I asked my daughter to look at it BEFORE I gave it to him. He's an iron worker, very masculine....but very GQ in his personal wardrobe for church, personal outings, etc...so I was in a dilemma. My daughter (his wife) knows him like a book, and thankfully she knows she can tell me anything. So I knew she'd be able to steer me in the right direction.

Her final answer agrees with your opinion: the pattern stitch is not masculine. Plus, he isn't the type to wrap an extra long scarf in a special configuration.

I knit him a Malabrigo "Irish Hiking Scarf" about 4 years ago, and he wears all the time with his overcoat and blazer and slacks. But all he does is overlap the two fronts and tuck them into his overcoat, plain and simple! The man can tie a perfectionist silk tie, but scarves confound him! LOL!

So the tri-color scarf is mine, too....I frogged 44", leaving 44". I love it, and the 44" is perfect for my short frame. I will knit a narrower scarf with the frogged yarn, but not sure what pattern, or for whom.